


Way Out

by msbt



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: AU - No zombies, Abusive Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Pining, Rape/Non-con Elements, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:58:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5208443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msbt/pseuds/msbt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from OTPBot: Your OTP helping their partner get out of a bad relationship</p><p>Rick didn't know when he'd started to have these feelings for Daryl, when his worries and concerns about his classmate had turned into something much less brotherly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It started with a red, slightly swollen cheek. It didn't look serious and Daryl himself didn't seem to give a shit, so really it wasn't Rick's fault that he failed to give careful attention to the sign. That didn't ease the guilt and anger Rick felt when he saw Daryl's bruised jaw a couple of days later, not even a little bit.

"What happened?" After a waitress had taken their orders and gone off, Rick leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Daryl's eyes were averted downward from Rick's as his body backed away slightly, his back pressed against the chair. "Nothin'. Just a lil quarrel."

"You had an argument and he hit you?" There must have been an edge in Rick's voice. Daryl shot a dirty look in his direction. "I punched him back. Ain't no pussy or some battered wife."

"I didn't mean it like that, you know that." Rick tried to keep the emotions from his voice, heaving a sigh. They had known each other since high school and known how to push each other's buttons. Daryl was the volatile one, but also he was the one to back off before Rick got really exasperated. Everyone else in the school had thought they must be too different to get along, with their backgrounds miles apart, but to everyone's surprise they had ended up being best friends and been hanging out together since then.

That Daryl had had enough faith in Rick to tell him he had started going with a guy had been a testament to their close friendship, though Rick had been dumbstruck at that news. He hadn't even known Daryl was into men, and there were proper words to describe his emotions at that momentーhe hadn't known what they had been, if truth be told.

Rick trusted Daryl and respected his decisions, not keen on fussing over his personal life. Daryl was a grown man, after all, not the kid who couldn't protect himself from the flurry of fists and belts. Still, Rick couldn't take it if someone hurt the man he cared about more than he should.

"You should try to avoid havin' a fist fight with him, no matter what." When he continued, Daryl looked down again, chewing his lower lip, hands tucked under his armpits. It made him look like a teenager again, bruised, insecure and defensive. Rick ducked his head to catch his eyes. "Daryl."

"Yeah I heard you, _Officer._ " Daryl grated out, fishing out a pack of cigarettes and putting one between his lips. It was his way of saying 'end of discussion' or 'there's nothing more to say.' It didn't work on Rick, though. Thing was, Rick was as stubborn and resolute as Daryl.

"Daryl, you're my brother." His own words hurt him for a certain reason but he managed to push it aside, reaching out to touch Daryl's hand on the table, his eyes never leaving the other's. "If you need any help, I'm here."

"I don't need nothin'." Daryl muttered under his breath defiantly, but didn't pull his hand away. His gaze fixed on the table, looking lost, his thin lips around the cigarette pressing into a tight line. The look in his eyes clenched Rick's heart. When he'd heard that Daryl's old man had been thrown into jail, he had thought he would never see that look again. He just hoped his hunch was wrong.

A week later, Rick was on patrol when he saw Daryl walking down the sidewalk. He pulled up, rolling down the window of his cruiser to speak to the other man. A cap rested low on Daryl's head and shadowed his eyes, making it difficult for Rick to read his expression.

"Hey, Daryl." He was quite sure the other man knew it was him in the squad car, but Daryl hadn't stopped until Rick had called his name, which filled him with foreboding. When the other man stopped beside the car, Rick peered up at him and swallowed, shocked. Daryl sported a black eye, his lips split, bruises dotting his neck, butterfly bandages covering cuts on his cheekbone. His eyes were shadowy pools of blue, vacant, glancing down at Rick. It almost scared him. Like when they had been high-school students.

And once he took in Daryl's features, a surge of fury and disgust rose up in Rick's chest, spouting from his mouth. "Did he do that?" Rick hissed, eyes narrowed in wrath.

"None of your damn business," Daryl's voice came out hoarse and strangely flat, but Rick could see how tense his shoulders were, how he kept his eyes from meeting Rick's, as if he was ashamed of himself. "Don't waste time on me. Go back to your work."

With that he walked off into the crowd, his head low, hands in the pockets. "Daryl!" Rick called out from inside the car, not wanting to follow him in the patrol car and attract needless attention. "I'll call you later!"

Rick didn't know when he'd started to have these feelings for Daryl, when his worries and concerns about his classmate had turned into something much less brotherly. But he did remember that the realization had hit him hard when Daryl had told him he'd been dating with the guy; he remembered that Daryl's cheeks had flushed red, his eyes downcast, fingers fidgeting in his lap. Rick had realized at the moment that he'd been in love with him. The protectiveness, possessiveness and lust he felt for Daryl were serious enough to make him face and admit it. But too late. Daryl was somebody else's now.

He'd thought that was okay, as long as Daryl was happy, because that was all that mattered. Daryl had never talked about the guy that much, hell he would be the last person to be a motormouth about anything. Despite that, Rick could see things between them had been okay, and Daryl had looked happy enough at first. But seeing him like that, all bruised and downtrodden, was beyond unbearable.

He called Daryl that night but there was no answer. He tried again and again, ending up receiving nothing from him. Putting his phone down Rick was mad at himself. He shouldn't have let Daryl go. The urge to jump in his car and drive straight to his apartment was so strong, but it felt intrusive, disrespectful, maybe too much. He was just a friend after all, and decided he would visit him straight after work tomorrow. That justification wasn't convincing enough to let him sleep soundly that night, though.

But things must have been worse than he had anticipated. When he was doing paperwork at his desk the next day, a desk sergeant came up and informed him he had a visitor by the name of Daryl. It surprised him since he knew the last thing Daryl wanted to do was walk into a police station voluntarily, and reinforced the urgency of the situation.

Rick hurried out into the corridor and found Daryl sitting on a bench, his shoulders hunched, hands limp between his legs. He was in his leather jacket, looking drained, the bruises still prominent on his pale skin. A sharp pang of guilt hit Rick at the sight of him.

"Hey... you okay?" Rick kept his voice soft and calm as he sat down next to him, leaning forward to make eye contact with him. "You want coffee or something? We can go and sit somewhere else if you want."

Daryl shook his head without looking back at Rick. "What, like an interrogation room? No way. 'M fine here." His voice was raspy as if he had been screaming all day. Rick knew Daryl hated the feeling of being locked up and having nowhere to escape, so let him be. A heavy silence fell between them. Rick waited for what felt like forever until the other man licked his split lips and finally forced the words past them. "Went to tell him last night that we shouldn't see each other anymore."

Rick's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but stare at Daryl, feeling relieved and sorry for his friend, not for the selfish, abusive man who didn't deserve someone like Daryl, until he continued. "He got mad and said he wouldn't accept it and allow me to leave."

Daryl clasped his hands between his thighs and blinked his eyes a few times, as if he was trying to hold back something he didn't want to release. Anger and dread bubbled up inside Rick, so harsh that he hesitated to ask. "What did he do?"

"He saidー" Daryl let out a shaky breath, voice cracked, "he said it was all my fault and..."

Suddenly Rick noticed Daryl's hands shaking uncontrollably and the purple marks on his wrists protruded from his sleeves.

"I said no and stop, but he didn't listen and..."

It was horrible. It was too much to hear Daryl's voice break like that, to see tears wetting his lashes, to feel how tense and shaky his body was. Rick lost his words, not knowing what to say. His heart wrenched and knotted in sheer anger and horror and pain.

Daryl took a few minutes to compose himself, then shook his head, a resigned look settling over his features. "He said I was overreacting and sappy. Said he did it because he still loved me."

"No, Darylーno, you did nothing wrong. It's not your fault. It's him who is wrong, not you." Rick tried to bring himself eye to eye with the other to emphasize his words. Not looking to him, Daryl muttered. "But he's myー"

"It doesn't matter if he's your boyfriend or partner or husband. When they don't respect your wishes and force you to have sex against your will, it's rape."

Daryl showed no reaction, no flinch, no glare, no tears, only staring down at his hands, wriggling them. There was no anger in his tone when he breathed out, which worsened the pain in Rick's chest. "Shoulda fought back more. Shoulda known better."

Rick closed the distance between them, daring to place his hand on the other's thigh. "You tried. It's not your fault you couldn't stop him."

Carefully and slowly, he stroked his leg, trying to comfort him, his gaze fixed on Daryl's plaintive profile. "You want to report it?"

Another silence. Daryl's eyes still downcast to the floor, his fingers tangled. Rick didn't push him, knowing it was really hard for a rape victim to report the crime. Especially when it came to males, they themselves were inclined to think men couldn't be the victim of a sexual assault. But it was wrong. Rick intended to respect whatever decision Daryl made, but would never forgive and forget what the guy had done to his best friend. Hell he wanted to hunt him down and rip him to pieces right away.

"When I saw you yesterday," Daryl started, then glanced at Rick finally. "You were pissed off more than I was."

"Because I care about you." Rick nodded, squeezing the other's knee with his hand reassuringly. Daryl's gaze stayed on his for a long moment, his red eyes piercing Rick's chest. "I saw it in your face. And figured out I should finish with him."

Rick nodded again, his face softening. Though a searing fire of anger and hatred didn't dissipate, a warmth spread across his chest at Daryl's words, at the gratitude in his eyes. They didn't need to put everything into words. They could read each other with eyes and nods. Rick now knew that Daryl had come here to report the assault. He felt deeply proud of his friend's strength and fell for him again. He would do anything for this man, even if his feelings would remain unrequited.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for encouraging me to write more of this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :) Thanks for reading!

Rick needed to maintain his professional composure but it was a struggle. Before conducting an interview about the case, he took Daryl to the hospital to have him receive proper medical care and undergo a sexual assault forensic exam. Daryl seemed to have had a shower and changed his clothes after the attack; those activities could potentially damage the evidence, but still it was important to have a rape kit done and collect any evidence left behind if he would press charges.

Rick waited in the lobby for him. It turned out to be a long wait, and when Daryl finally came down the hall towards him, he looked pale and haggard under the harsh lights. Getting up from the chair, Rick approached him. "You alright?"

Daryl's eyes were trained to him, weary but not blank like earlier. He nodded without a word, chewing on his lower lip. Rick gave a nod back. "You'll be interviewed at the police station tomorrow, we have specially trained officers and they'll assist you throughout the investigation. Is that okay?"

Nodding again, Daryl averted his eyes and began nibbling on his cuticles, a habit that indicated he was nervous or in deep thought. This whole situation must have been agonizing for him and Rick wanted to do nothing but comfort him in his arms, but he couldn't. He was extremely careful not to be intrusive and make Daryl feel uncomfortable, or he was simply afraid of messing things up between them, things like Daryl's trust in him or their deep friendship. The pain of losing them would be more than he'd be able to bear.

But now was not the time to be a coward. Rick made up his mind, ducking his head to catch Daryl's eyes. "How about you come to my house tonight? We can go to the police station together tomorrow."

Daryl glanced to him, looking unsure. His scrapes and bruises had been well tended to, but they were still there, vivid and apparent enough to make Rick cringe mentally. He just couldn't leave this man alone, hurt and haunted. Besides, it was not like they hadn't slept over together. Daryl used to stay with Rick and his parents when things at Daryl's house had gotten pretty rough and ugly. 

"C'mon, let's go and eat pizza at my house. There's this delivery guy who's pretty funny and a smart ass." Rick kept his tone light yet warm as he urged. There was still a hesitant look on Daryl's face but he grunted his approval, which took a load off Rick's mind.

They drove to his home and the second they got inside, Daryl slumped down on the couch, exhausted. When Rick returned from the kitchen with a glass of water, he found the other man dozing. His face was slack, body limp, free from all the tensions and worries for the first time in a long time. Seeing him relax at his place made Rick's heart swell. He hesitated to shake him awake, but he knew Daryl should take the medicine and rest in bed, not on couch.

He gently woke him up, handed the glass to him and managed to convince him to take the guest room and sleep on the bed. Daryl didn't have the energy to argue and reluctantly agreed, disappearing into the guest room without eating anything. Alone in the stillness of the night, Rick considered whether or not to call the pizza delivery, but it didn't take long to decide it was better to go to bed and get some decent rest. He needed to be spirited and sure-footed for Daryl and himself.

However, his attempt ended up with an hour of tossing and turning. The black screen behind his closed lids flashed some horrific images of Daryl being punched, pinned, violated, _screaming._ The skin of his wrists burned and scraped, bottom lip bit between his teeth to stifle whatever sound might have been trying to escape, eyes squeezed shut, tears stinging them.

Finally Rick threw the covers aside with a resigned sigh, leaving his bed. As he moved into the hallway toward the kitchen for a drink of water, his ears caught a faint, muffled sound. It came from the guest room whose door was left ajar. When he stood in front of the door, he realized it was sobbing. Daryl was crying. Rick's heart was crushed inside his chest. He couldn't help himself and knocked, his voice caring and concerned. "Daryl?"

Almost instantly the sounds stopped. He heard the rustle of sheets and the deep, shuddering breaths before Daryl's voice came from the darkness of the room, raspy and small like a kid. "M'sorry, didn't mean to disturb you."

"Don't be. It's okay." A silence fell, and there was a conflict in Rick's mind for a momentーShould he give Daryl his space or act on what his heart craved to do?ーbut then again, Rick couldn't leave him alone and shattered, especially not after hearing those soft, broken sobs.

Rick pushed the door open slowly enough to give him time to say 'no' or 'not now' or anything. When there was no response from the other man, he perched on the edge of the bed, looking down at him. Daryl was lying on his side, sniffing quietly, blanket covering him from nose to toes tightly. Only his eyes were visible, watery and bloodshot, watching every move Rick made from beneath his long bangs. The sight was endearing and heartrending at the same time.

"Wanna talk about it?" Rick asked in a quiet whisper, seeing the other shake his head wordlessly, his dark hair tousled against the white of the pillow. Nodding, Rick lowered his gaze to the floor. His hands itched to reach out and hold the man, but he kept them clasped between his knees.

He'd handled a few rape cases and learned how to provide support to the victims in the police academy and in the field, but this was Daryl, his best friend, his brother. The one he cared about more than himself. He would face this not with techniques or methods, but with compassion and honesty.

"I found some photos of when we were high school kids." Rick started, his gaze drifting slowly, from Daryl's hand holding the hem of the blanket close to his mouth, to his red-rimmed eyes looking up at him like a little kid waiting to hear a bedtime story. "Do you remember the prank we played on the principal?"

"ーYeah," took only a moment for Daryl to respond, a hint of amusement in his voice. "We loosed a bunch of wild squirrels in that asshole's office."

"And some escaped into the hallway and jumped on the cheerleaders. Girls squeaked." Rick could hear Daryl smirking at that, and he himself grinned. It was one of the good memories and the photo that Rick had found in his desk drawer a while ago was the one of Daryl cracking up at a squirrel chewing at a pom-pom, his smile bright, eyes sparkling. Rick wanted nothing more than to bring that smile back and hear his laughter.

Shifting slightly, Daryl mumbled, his eyes lowered. "You were dating with that queen bee."

"Yeah." Lori had been one of those cheerleaders, bitching about their stupid prank for hours after that. "We broke up after graduation." It didn't hurt as much as it had before, but still Rick remembered how beautiful she had looked in her prom dress.

"How 'bout that blonde chic?"

"Jessie? She wasn't serious about me and got married to another man."

"Stupid bitches."

Daryl's comment made Rick laugh, and he was too relaxed to think before speaking. "Probably I've been always in love with someone else."

The second the words fell from his mouth and he realized what he'd just said, Rick's heart stopped, then began beating so fast that it almost choked him. He glanced back down at the other man; Daryl was staring at him through the strands of his hair, his lips apart slightly. Rick couldn't read his expression in the dim light, but he could feel his own face flushing and his ears burning. He hadn't meant to reveal his feelings no matter how vague because it didn't feel like the right time with Daryl being hurt physically and emotionally. He didn't want to take advantage of his vulnerable state.

"I... um, you want something to drink? I was about to get myself some water." He stuttered out as he got up a bit too suddenly, the sound of his heart pounding loud in his ears.

"Naw, 'm fine." Rick nodded to the other man and walked towards the door. "Rick?"

When he turned around at Daryl's whispery voice, his eyes were still on Rick's, but eventually cast down with a soft murmur, "Thanks."

Warmth filled Rick's chest and he couldn't help but smile. "Anytime."

* * *

The sky was cloudy and dim, looking like it might rain. It was a Sunday morning. Rick leaned back in the driver's seat, stuck in the middle of a traffic jam on the way to the police station, unable to move forward or back or sideways.

Sighing deeply through his nose, he cast a side glance towards the man in the passenger seat. Daryl was looking out the window, absentminded, his head resting on the cool surface of the glass. The redness in his eyes was gone and seemingly he'd gotten enough sleep without crying, which was a great relief to Rick. Today would be a long day, one that could be full of stress and distress. Daryl would have to recall and verbalize the traumatic memories of the assault during an interview and it would be a great torment for him. Rick's heart ached at the thought.

They sat in silence, letting the radio play quietly. The line of cars inched forward and Rick moved with it slowly until he had to brake to maintain a safe distance between the car ahead of him and his. Then suddenly, there was a loud whack that made both of them jump, and Daryl flinched violently when Rick turned his head towards the source of the sound, seeing a curly haired man pressing his hand against the passenger window as if trying to break the glass, his eyes burning with rage, boring into Daryl.

"What are you doin' here? Who the hell is he?" The man yelled through the window, slamming his palm against it again. Daryl's body cringed, frozen in the seat. A violent surge of anger swelled inside Rick, but he needed to hold it back and keep his cool. On high alert but not panicking, he watched both of them, his hand reaching for his gun carefully and slowly without taking his eyes off of the man so that he wouldn't notice his movements.

It seemed unnecessary, though. The bastard focused his full attention on Daryl, glaring with murderous rage at him. "You've been cheating on me? Is that why you dumped me, huh? You whore!" He shouted as he groped for the door handle, trying to yank the door open. It was locked and he kept jerking the door handle, banging against the window with the other hand, his face twisting with anger. "Open the damn door!"

Rick saw Daryl's shaky hand reach out and hissed in alarm. "Daryl, don't."

But instead of unlocking the door, Daryl rolled down the window, holding the man by the collar of his shirt, tightening his grip as he delivered a hard punch to the man's face without a single hesitance. The force of the punch flung him to the ground, and Daryl gave him the finger before rolling up the window. "Go fuck yourself."

Rick stared at him, mouth agape in surprise, a wave of adoration for the man washing over him. "I think I love you, Daryl Dixon."

"I think I know that." As Daryl let himself relax into the seat, he sent that little smirk in Rick's direction, looking a lot less broken and haggard despite the blackened eye and the cuts and the bruises. Something in those blue eyes glistened, a mix of mischief and sweetness. "And I think the son of a bitch's partly right. You were my first crush, Rick Grimes. Still are."

Daryl's voice was so soft that Rick almost thought he was dreaming. Outside there were horns beeping and people cursing and cars moving, but Rick couldn't hear, couldn't see; it was only him and Daryl, looking at each other, smiling and grinning just like they had done when they were teens.


End file.
